So Joseph carried on as sole proprietor, until, in time, he was joined by his sons and nephews. From its early days with just twelve men, the factory grew fast and by 1906 it employed over 4,000 workers.

Joseph was always determined to produce top quality cocoa, chocolate and confectionery. But he was equally determined to ensure that fair wages were paid and a high level of welfare achieved for the workforce.

A lifelong Quaker, Joseph seldom spoke about his religious beliefs. But they informed his life at all levels, from his home life to his commitment to social reform to his business practice. Joseph was an active philanthropist. He worked to improve adult literacy, and to safeguard democracy and political fair play.

Acutely aware of the social conditions many of his factory workers lived in, he was keen to improve the quality of civil life for all through the provision of affordable, decent housing, recreational facilities and opportunities for self-improvement.

He believed the way to remedy the injustices of the world was not to relieve their ill effects, but to strike at their roots. This would be the trusts’ work.

Joseph died in 1925, aged 89, and the City of York turned out to mourn one of their great citizens. He was buried in the Quaker graveyard beneath a simple Quaker gravestone on which you can read just his name and his date. No more and no less.